Z work visa

Who it is for

Applicants who have a work-permit notification or another work authorization the visa office accepts.

Where it is filed

Chinese embassy, consulate, or Chinese Visa Application Service Center outside mainland China. The office that covers your place of residence decides the case.

What we do not promise

A Z visa is not permission to start work by itself. Stays over 90 days generally need a work-permit notification, and holders whose stay is recorded as 000 days must apply for a residence permit within 30 days of entry.

Documents the agent will ask for

• Passport with at least six months of validity beyond the intended stay, blank visa pages, and a copy of the bio page.
• Completed online visa application form for the People’s Republic of China.
• One recent front-facing photo on a white background.
• If you apply outside your country of citizenship: proof of legal stay in the country where you apply.
• Former Chinese citizens: previous Chinese passport and prior Chinese visa copies, plus a name-change document if the name differs.
• Notification Letter of Foreigner’s Work Permit, or one of the other work documents the visa office lists for your job type (offshore oil, representative office, commercial performance, culture center, or tourism office).

Official source (2026-05-25): https://se.china-embassy.gov.cn/eng/lsfw_0/swe123/202303/t20230314_11041349.htm. We last reviewed this page on 2026-09-23. Rules on the official page win if they differ.